Steam Controller ships in October, pre-orders open to prospective owners

Valve’s Steam Machines - specialized gaming PCs designed to run Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS - are coming to shelves and living rooms alike this October. But if you’ve already got a gaming PC or would rather build one yourself, the House That Half-Life Built has something else they’d like to show you: the Steam Controller.

Originally unveiled years ago as a curious-looking device lacking joysticks and face buttons, the Steam Controller has gone through multiple designs to end up with the final version, which you can see below:

The Steam Controller eschews the traditional dual-thumbstick design for something unique: a single thumbstick rests toward the bottom of the controller, while two large, touch-sensitive circles with haptic feedback take up most of the controller’s face. It’s definitely not what you’re used to, but Valve is pushing the message that the Steam Controller can take the place of both traditional gamepads as well as a mouse-and-keyboard combo.

Those looking to get their thumbs on a Steam Controller can pre-order from a limited supply that will ship on October 16 of this year.